1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a transmission system with a shift mechanism for controlling the transmission system, a control device for controlling a transmission system with a shift mechanism, a method for controlling such a transmission system or shift mechanism, as well as an application for the transmission system.
2. Description of the Related Art
In order to shift various gears in a transmission system, particularly an automated shift transmission, shift mechanisms are used. The shift mechanisms include a shift motor and a selection motor, wherein the motors control a selector finger, which is moved in an arrangement including a selection passageway and various shift passageways. The shift passageways are thereby allocated to predetermined gears, so that within a shift passageway there exists one position in which a predetermined gear of the transmission is fully engaged. Through an appropriate mechanism with shift forks, the movement of the selector finger is transmitted to gearshift rings. A selector shaft that is coupled with the selector finger is controlled by the motors in such a way that it can execute swiveling movements around its axis as well as axial movements. The swiveling or linear movements are changed into shift movements or movements of the gearshift rings.
Those movements, or especially the movements of the motors, are tracked by displacement and/or angle sensors. They are designed specifically as incremental displacement sensors, hence as sensor devices that detect a position by adding up individual increments along a linear section or an angle.
Such shift mechanisms have proven useful, particularly for controlling automated shift transmissions. The use of incremental displacement detection devices has frequently led to cost savings compared with the use of absolute displacement detection devices.
Nevertheless, it would be desirable to further improve those known transmission systems having shift mechanisms, particularly with regard to their reliability and shifting accuracy.
Particularly when incremental displacement detection devices are used, there is a risk of incorrect shifts, which, apart from a loss of comfort, can cause delayed shift procedures or damage to the transmission or the shift mechanism.
It is therefore desirable to be able to accurately determine or check the current position of the selector finger or to be able to perform a position alignment or position adjustment, even when information from a position-sensing device is lost or inaccurate. Furthermore, it would be desirable for position errors encountered during the detecting or controlling of the selector finger to be detected as quickly and as safely as possible, and substitute measures introduced for their elimination.
A secure adaptation of predetermined positions, such as particularly the gear end positions, at a predetermined point in time would also be desirable.
The invention is therefore based on the object of producing an improved transmission system with a shift mechanism, and a method for controlling the same, along with a control device for controlling the actuation device of the same, which will reduce the probability of incorrect shifts, transmission damage, functional impairment, and failure, and through which the possibility of improved driving comfort is produced.